Department for Transport

Railways: North of England

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked Transport for the North to delay the publication of their business case for (1) a high-speed railway route between Hull and Liverpool, or (2) part of that route; and, if so, why.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department has asked Transport for the North to submit the Strategic Outline Case for Northern Powerhouse Rail after the Integrated Rail Plan is published. A Strategic Outline Case which is consistent with the Government’s policy and funding framework, to be set out in the Integrated Rail Plan, will allow a more rapid alignment around single route options and quicker progress than envisaged in previous plans.

Passenger Ships: Coronavirus

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have identified a clear timelinefor allowing the cruise industry to restart.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Prime Minister set out the Roadmap out of lockdown on 22 February which will take place over four steps. The Roadmap includes plans for a successor to the Global Travel Taskforce, which will consider a safe and sustainable return to international travel. The timelines for international cruise restart will be determined through the Taskforce, which will report on 12 April. The report’s recommendations will be aimed at facilitating a return to international travel as soon as is possible, while still managing risk from imported cases and variants of concern. Following that, the Government will determine when international travel should resume, which will be no earlier than 17 May. We will seek to align domestic cruises with the resumption of wider domestic tourism and indoor hospitality.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Wendover

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what independent assessment has been made of the impact of the HS2 Phase One cut-and-cover tunnel design at Wendover on (1) the sustainability of the Weston Turville Site of Special Scientific Interest, (2) the water flow in the Wendover Arm of the Grand Union Canal, and (3) flood risk to habitations at (a) Stoke Mandeville, and (b) Aylesbury.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what independent assessment has been made of the management of the (1) water flow, (2) settlement, and (3) distribution, of the cut-and-cover tunnel on HS2 Phase One at Wendover; and whether construction of the tunnel will require additional land take.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what independent assessment has been made of the management of the (1) water flow, (2) settlement, and (3) distribution, of the cut-and-cover tunnel on HS2 Phase One at Wendover; and whether construction of the tunnel will require additional land take.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Thorough assessments of a range of potential impacts from the HS2 Phase One green tunnel at Wendover continue to be made and assured by HS2 Ltd’s contractors. These utilise approaches such as numerical groundwater modelling, fluvial modelling and purpose-designed pumping tests in order to provide the most accurate information about water movement in this area and any potential for impact from the construction of the railway. These assessments, and the ongoing liaison with independent experts from the Environment Agency (with respect to water and flood risks), the Canal and River Trust (with respect to the Grand Union Canal) and Natural England (with respect to Weston Turville Site of Special Scientific Interest), will continue to inform the detailed design of the railway and requirements for monitoring and mitigation. Works involving water courses, groundwater and/or flood risks are then subject to independent approval by the Environment Agency. There is no further land outside of HS2 Phase One Act limits needed for construction of the Wendover green tunnel.

Shipping: Coronavirus

Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements, if any, are being made to provide COVID-19 vaccinations to seafarers; and what steps, if any, are being taken to deliversuch a vaccination programme through the International Maritime Organization.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: While the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommends prioritisation for vaccination rest on medical grounds, rather than occupation alone, the Government is considering the vital role of seafarers in the movement of trade in and out of the UK.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many public charging points for electric vehicles are operational in each region in England; and of these, how many (1) are able to charge all models of electric vehicle licensed for UK roads, (2) are located in motorway service stations, and (3) provide rapid charging to electric vehicles.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many motorway service stations (1) have, and (2) do not have, electric charging points for electric vehicles in England.

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many motorway service stations (1) have, and (2) do not have, electric charging points for electric vehicles in England.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As of March 2020, there are 115 motorway service areas (MSAs) in England. Of these, 112 have at least one electric vehicle (EV) charging device. The number of public charging devices in each region in England are presented in the table below. Figures are from 4 January 2021. RegionTotal Public Charging DevicesCharge all models of EVs1Rapid charging devices2East Midlands1,0901,068261East of England1,2891,229300London6,1556,090515North East820812172North West1,4101,372323South East2,8692,721636South West1,5551,499344West Midlands1,2151,125352Yorkshire and The Humber1,0561,028311England Total17,45916,9443,214 Tesla Supercharger devices are not counted as they cannot be used by other makes of EV.Rapid charging devices are defined as at 43kW and above and include Tesla Supercharger devices, which is consistent with DfT official statistics. All currently operational rapid devices can be used on any vehicle with rapid-charging capability. The number of public charging devices located at MSAs in each region in England are presented in the table below. Figures are from March 2020.RegionLocated at MSAs excluding Tesla Superchargers Located at MSAs - Tesla Superchargers only (March East Midlands190East of England1716London80North East50North West4128South East5550South West2516West Midlands3152Yorkshire and The Humber148England Total215170

Railways: North of England

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the Integrated Rail Plan for the North of England.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department intends to publish the IRP in early 2021.

Department of Health and Social Care

Coronavirus: Hotels

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the total cost to date of discharging patients recovering from COVID-19 from hospitals to hotels.

Lord Bethell: This data is not held centrally. NHS England and NHS Improvement will be evaluating the use of this approach over the coming weeks.

Coronavirus: Hotels

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients recovering from COVID-19 have been discharged from hospitals to hotels.

Lord Bethell: This data is not held centrally. NHS England and NHS Improvement will be evaluating the use of this approach over the coming weeks.

Tobacco: Marketing

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent tobacco companies using (1) social media influencers, and (2) other media, to promote non-combustible nicotine products.

Lord Bethell: The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 covers the prohibition of tobacco advertising. The advertising of e-cigarettes is covered under the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016 (TRPR).The Department expects social media platforms to comply with the above regulations in the United Kingdom. The Advertising Standards Authority are responsible for dealing with complaints around tobacco and e-cigarette advertising.The Department is currently undertaking a post implementation review of TRPR to assess if the regulations have met their objectives. A public consultation is currently open for responses, and provides an opportunity for comments to be made on this legislation.

Meat: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) officials, and (2) ministers, in the Northern Ireland Executive Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs about the recent award of a three-year contract to supply Meat Hygiene Inspectors to assist Official Veterinarians in Northern Ireland; and what contingency plans they have put in place in the event of a default on this contract.

Lord Bethell: As part of a Service Level Agreement with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in relation to official controls, the Food Standards Agency has ongoing discussions with DAERA about resourcing at official level.DAERA have taken forward a recruit-to-train project, recruiting staff as trainee meat inspectors. The agency contract is to secure agency workers to maintain continued delivery of official controls until such time as these trainees become fully qualified.DAERA have established a group of vets and ex-meat inspectors in the Department who can be called upon to carry out meat inspection duties as a contingency in the event that the current contract is unable to deliver.

Gambling

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the study in the Nature Human Behaviour journal The association between gambling and financial, social and health outcomes in big financial data, published on 4 February, that an individual is more likely to become a heavy gambler in a period of six months than to go from heavy gambling to abstention; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of existing gambling treatment programmes.

Lord Bethell: We have made no such assessment. Public Health England is currently undertaking an evidence review on the prevalence, determinants and harms associated with gambling, and the social and economic burden of gambling-related harms. The review is expected to be completed in March 2021.The NHS Long Term Plan includes a commitment to open 15 specialist problem gambling clinics by 2023/24. As these services expand, NHS England will continue to explore how to make best use of existing treatment models to help problem gamblers.

Coronavirus: Screening

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allocate frontline funeral workers key worker or equivalent status to enable them access to regular COVID-19 testing.

Lord Bethell: It is for local authorities to decide where to introduce testing in their areas and which cohorts testing will cover, including funeral workers. In addition to local authorities, NHS Test and Trace will also work closely with other Government departments to increase workplace testing for medium and large organisations within their sectors.

Dentistry: Coronavirus

Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what priority have (1) NHS dentists, (2) NHS dental staff, (3) non-NHS dentists, and (4) non-NHS dental staff, been given for access to COVID-19 vaccinations.

Lord Bethell: All frontline health and social care staff, including dentists and dental staff, involved in direct patient care are included in phase one of the COVID-19 vaccine deployment. The definition of health and social care staff covers those delivering National Health Service or privately funded care.

Asthma: Health Services

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reportby Asthma UKLiving in limbo, the scale of unmet need in difficult and severe asthma,published in 2019, which foundthat four out of five severe asthma patients are not referred to specialists for treatment.

Lord Bethell: The UK Severe Asthma Registry (UKSAR) has gone from having less than 2000 patients registered to over 8000 patients as a result of work on the asthma pathway. Severe asthma services will continue to participate in the NHS England and Improvement Accelerated Access Collaborative programme to deliver the best healthcare to severe asthma patients. The UKSAR is the world’s largest national severe asthma registry and provides novel insights across a range of research areas as well as enabling annual reporting on performance outcomes for severe asthma services.

Asthma: Coronavirus

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of severe asthma patients who were unaware of their diagnosis receiving a letter stating that they should shield, what steps they are taking to ensure that patients with severe asthma receive their diagnosis.

Lord Bethell: Patients added to the shielding list will be under the care of a clinician for their asthma and therefore aware of their diagnosis.Patients with severe asthma were identified as being (clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) by two routes. An algorithm was used to identify patients who received high levels of certain asthma medication. Inpatients were also directly added to the CEV list by a clinician in either primary or secondary care following the shielding advice for those with severe respiratory conditions, which was published by the British Thoracic Society in April 2020.

Care Homes: Visits

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will announce a timetable for the re-introduction of close contact care home visits in England.

Lord Bethell: New visiting arrangements will start on 8 March. From then, every care home resident will be able to nominate one named person who can have regular, indoor visits. Those with highest care needs can also nominate an ‘essential family carer’. We will continue to look carefully at the latest data and set out plans for the next phase of visits for people in residential care.

Dementia: Drugs

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported increase in the prescription of anti-psychotic medication in the care of people with dementia.

Lord Bethell: NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to monitor the monthly data published by NHS Digital on the prescribing of antipsychotic medication for people diagnosed with dementia. NHS England and NHS Improvement continue to have regular conversations with regional clinical network leads and local services to understand the patterns in prescribing and potential reasons for any trends.NHS England and NHS Improvement have also disseminated good practices and resources to support the management of COVID-19 for people with dementia through the NHS Futures Collaboration Platform, fortnightly forums and webinars with Dementia Clinical Networks across England.

Test and Trace Support Payment

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 19 November (HL9485), why parents of children who have to self-isolate because of contact with someone outside their household who has tested positive are not eligible for the Test and Trace Support Payment when they also have to self-isolate; and whether there are any plans to extendthat payment to parents in that situation.

Lord Bethell: The Test and Trace Support Payment scheme is for people on low incomes who have been told to self-isolate by NHS Test and Trace or the NHS COVID-19 app, either because they have tested positive or because they are a close contact of someone who has tested positive. We have worked closely with local authorities to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme and have listened to feedback from charities and support groups. We are now extending the scheme to the summer and are expanding eligibility to cover parents and guardians who have to take time off work to care for a child who is self-isolating.

Coronavirus: Ventilation

Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what researchthey have commissioned to determine the potential risks to patients and healthcare workers of (1) short-range, and (2) long-range, aerosol transmission of COVID-19 in health and care premises.

Lord Bethell: The National Institute for Health Research and UK Research and Innovation have jointly commissioned research studies to determine the potential risk to patients and staff from aerosol transmission of COVID-19 and investigate how to mitigate those risks. This includes funding of £433,000 to the AERATOR study at the University of Bristol to investigate aerosolization of COVID-19 and transmission risk at short range from medical procedures.Additionally, Public Health England have been awarded £337,000 to investigate environmental and airborne transmission routes of COVID-19 including in healthcare settings.

Liothyronine

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bethell on 17 February (HL13177), whether an intervention under the Health Service Medical Supplies (Costs) Act 2017 has taken place to control the cost of Liothyronine (T3); and if not, why not.

Lord Bethell: No such intervention has taken place. Several marketing authorisations have been granted for liothyronine since 2016 and the reimbursement price has been reducing as a direct response to more competition in the market.

NHS: Dental Services

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the report by Healthwatch What people are telling us, published on 9 December 2020, which found that people are struggling to access NHS dentistry, (2) the reported increase in the sale of at-home dental kits by Boots in the last three months of 2020, and (3) British Dental Association analysis that dentists have provided around 19 million fewer treatments in England since March 2020 compared to the same period last year; and what plans they have to address these issues.

Lord Bethell: No such assessment has been made.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toinclude family members of care home residents in Category 6 of their COVID-19 vaccination first phase priority groups.

Lord Bethell: The Government has no current plans to revise the phase one priority groups to include all family members of care home residents. Family members and other care home visitors will continue to be prioritised following the wider Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation advice.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

Peers: Allowances

Lord Marlesford: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker how much was paid to Members of the House of Lords in financial support (excluding travel costs) in each month during 2020.

Lord McFall of Alcluith: The total amount of financial support (excluding travel costs) paid to Members of the House of Lords in each month during 2020 was as follows; Month Amount　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 £000s  January 2020 2,135  February 2020 1,643  March 2020 1,385  April 2020 80  May 2020 226  June 2020 711  July 2020 539  August 2020 0  September 2020 1,471  October 2020 1,538  November 2020 1,478  December 2020 1,112

Treasury

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Baroness Valentine: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the relationship between (1) the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, (2) the Stronger Towns Fund, and (3) the Levelling Up Fund.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government is committed to levelling up opportunities across the UK, which we will deliver by boosting jobs, wages and prospects for all communities so that everybody gets the same access to opportunities in life. The recent Spending Review confirmed investment to support this agenda, including £220m in 21/22 to support local areas across the UK to pilot programmes and prepare for the introduction for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund; £621m in 21/22 to regenerate towns through the Towns Fund (which includes both the ‘Stronger Towns Fund’ and the Future High Streets Fund); and £4.8bn for the UK-wide Levelling Up fund to invest in local infrastructure that has a visible impact on people and their communities.

Regional Planning and Development

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the devolved administrations about their levelling up agenda.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The UK Government is committed to levelling up all regions and nations of the UK. We regularly work and engage with representatives from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the devolved administrations on a wide range of topics, including the levelling up agenda.

Ministry of Defence

China: Military Equipment

Lord Tunnicliffe: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what, items of second-hand Chinese equipment have been purchased by the Ministry of Defence in each year since 2015.

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence has not purchased any second-hand Chinese manufactured equipment since 2015.I refer the noble Lord to the previous replies given by my hon. Friend, Jeremy Quin MP (Minister of State, Ministry of Defence) to Questions 141933, answered on 27 January 2021, and 134370, answered on 13 January 2021.141933 - AWACS; Procurement (docx, 13.8KB)134370 - China; Military Aircraft (docx, 13.7KB)

Army: Deployment

Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the British Army last deployed a largely fully formed and supported division for manoeuvre and deployment training; and when it next plans to conduct an exercise of this scale in order (1) to test the UK's ability and identify any weaknesses, (2) to reassure allies, and (3) to deter potential opponents.

Baroness Goldie: I refer the noble Lord to the previous replies given by my noble friend the right hon Earl Howe (Minister of State, Ministry of Defence) to question HL5012 answered on 6 February 2017 and Oral question (volume 794, column 2118) answered on 8 January 2019.The Army continues to have a sophisticated exercise programme in place to ensure that it is trained and ready to operate at the divisional level. This includes training with Allies and partners. The UK are due to take part in Exercise WARFIGHTER in March 2021, in which HQ 3 (UK) Division will deploy to the US as part of III (US) Corps.Army: Deployment (docx, 15.1KB)Army: Divisional Manoeuvre and Deployment Training (docx, 14.9KB)

Armed Forces: Cadets

Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the cadet forces provide opportunities for children from disadvantaged backgrounds following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Goldie: With around 3,500 individual cadet units across the UK, many in less affluent areas, they reflect the communities in which they are located. The increase in the number of cadet units in schools under the Government’s joint Ministry of Defence and Department for Education Cadet Expansion Programme, targeted in less affluent areas, has resulted in more children from disadvantaged backgrounds having access to the benefits of the cadet experience. All cadets, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, will benefit from the greater opportunities that returning to face-to-face activity offers. Research shows that taking part in the cadet forces develops key attributes in young people. The return to face-to-face activity will also include re-establishing education packages through the Cadet Vocational Qualification Organisation, vocational qualifications which we know benefit many from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Department for International Trade

Fossil Fuels: Finance

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to continue (1) to provide export finance support to, and (2) to make investments in, overseas fossil fuel projects in states which do not have long-term decarbonisation plans in line with the UN Paris Agreement.

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to approve (1) investments, (2) loans, or (3) loan guarantees, for natural gas projects in states which do not have long-term decarbonisation plans.

Baroness Sheehan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to approve (1) investments, (2) loans, or (3) loan guarantees, for natural gas projects in states which do not have long-term decarbonisation plans.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: On 12 December 2020, the Prime Minister announced that the British government will no longer provide any new direct financial or promotional support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas, apart from a small number of tightly-bound exceptions that are still to be determined. The date of implementation of the new policy will be determined following the consultation that was launched on the same day.

Trade Bill 2019-21

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with (1) Her Majesty The Queen, (2) His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, or (3) their representatives, relating to their Consent to the Trade Bill; what changes were made to the Bill as a result of any such discussions; and for what purpose were such changes made.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: Queen’s Consent is required for provisions affecting the Royal Prerogative, as well as the hereditary revenues, the Duchy of Lancaster or the Duchy of Cornwall, and the personal property or personal interests of the Crown. Foreign affairs including trade have historically been carried out through the Royal Prerogative. Queen’s Consent was sought for the provisions of the Trade Bill insofar as they affected the Royal Prerogative. No changes were made to the Bill as a result of the process of obtaining Queen’s consent.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have tostop granting export licences for the sale of arms to Saudi Arabia.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: HM Government takes its export responsibilities seriously and will continue to assess all export licences in accordance with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the ‘Consolidated Criteria’). HM Government will not grant an export licence if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria, including if there is a clear risk that the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of international humanitarian law. In addition, HM Government is able to review licences – and suspend or revoke as necessary – when circumstances require, and this is done in line with the Consolidated Criteria.

Arms Trade: Saudi Arabia

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the suspension in arms sales to Saudi Arabia for offensive use in Yemen by the government of the United States; and what plans they have to implement a similar suspension in arms sales.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The US announced it would end support to Saudi-led offensive operations in Yemen, including relevant defence exports. This is entirely a matter for the US Government.Our position on arms exports to Saudi Arabia – as with all countries – is that such exports require an export licence and that all export licence applications are carefully assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria (the “Consolidated Criteria”) on a case-by-case basis. A licence would not be granted if to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

EU Countries: Musicians

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or plan to have, with the Vice-President of the European Commission for Interinstitutional Relations onreports of concerns UK musicians have about touring within the EU.

Baroness Barran: In negotiations with the EU, the UK proposed expanding a list of activities for Short Term Business Visitors to cover musicians, artists and their accompanying staff. This would have enabled musicians, artists and support staff to tour and perform in the EU without needing work-permits. We regret that the EU rejected our proposals, but there is scope to return to this issue in the future should the EU change its mind. UK performers and artists are of course still able to tour and perform in the EU, and vice versa. However, they will be required to check domestic immigration rules for each Member State in which they intend to tour. This is because, while some Member States may allow paid performances without a visa or work permit, others will require musicians, artists and other creative professionals to obtain a visa or work permit, in the same way that they are required for other international artists. We understand the concerns of the sector regarding the new arrangements and we are committed to supporting them as they get to grips with the changes to systems and processes. The DCMS-led working group on creative and cultural touring, which involves sector representatives and other key government departments, is looking at the issues and options to help the sectors resume touring with ease as soon as it is safe to do so.